AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): In a meeting with religious scholars and students of the Islamic seminaries on July 12, 2023, Imam Khamenei emphasized the great importance of religious propagation and clarification in the present era.
He highlighted the need to know the audience, recognize the structure of the global scene, and possess a jihadi spirit in order to have an impact in propagating and clarifying ideas.
The younger generations, he said, must be the focus of creative propagation based on new methods and tools.
During the meeting, which was held on the eve of the Islamic month of Muharram, Imam Khamenei stressed the importance of the long-standing tradition of propagation in the seminaries and in the lives of great scholars.
"The significance of propagation as one of the duties of the seminaries has doubled following the establishment of the Islamic Republic, because the establishment of a political establishment based on religion has increased the enmity of the Arrogant Powers towards Islam," he noted.
"Propagation in the current era has developed a lot with the presence of all kinds of methods based on science and the spread of tools, including the Internet and artificial intelligence (as a symbol of the post-Internet stage)," the Leader explained, adding that common sense says propagation must be the top priority in countering the blood-shedding swords of the enemy’s propaganda.
He also maintained that in addition to the expansion of propagation hardware in the West, the progress in the methods of making a message believable is one of today’s realities.
"Using various sciences, including psychology, the Westerners instill 100-percent false messages as truth in the minds of the audience," he said.
The Leader warned, “If we are negligent and weak in propagation in the face of new developments, we will be afflicted by a cultural transformation. Like the West, we will become caught up in a step-by-step move toward the normalization of major sins, which cannot then be easily remedied.” He also said, “As Imam [Khomeini] repeatedly said, 'If Islam is struck in Iran, the effect will remain for years.'"
Another point that Imam Khamenei mentioned regarding propagation was the importance of avoiding being in a defensive position only and the necessity of attacking the mindset of the opposing front.
He spoke about the importance of understanding what happens behind-the-scenes of current activities in both social networks and other environments in order to achieve this. He said, "We should pay attention to see if this activist, whether they work in propagation, in the mass media, or in social networks, is acting independently or is controlled from behind the scenes, which is often the case."
The Leader of the Revolution called the front that opposes the Islamic system, which calls itself a liberal democracy, a front of deceit and lies. He emphasized, "The side that is confronting the Iranian nation is opposed to freedom-seeking, against free thinking, and opposed to any kind of democracy independent of the Arrogant Powers. And the resistance and battle of the Iranian nation and Islamic system against this front is a battle affecting civilization and the world."
He explained that the current state of the poor, helpless Ukrainian nation shows that the colonialism and predatory motives of the West are continuing. The Leader said, "The people of Ukraine are being killed because the interests of the companies that produce and sell arms in the West lie in the continuation of the war in Ukraine."
Imam Khamenei sees the West to be more vulnerable today than ever, and he said, "The US, which Imam [Khomeini] called the Great Satan, is a collection of Satanic traits and villainy in various fields such as in politics, confronting other nations, treatment of the American nation, racism, sexual ethics, crime, and cruelty."
He also stressed the fact that, "We should not limit ourselves to being in a defensive position. Rather, the foundation of the opposing front should be the target of a propagation attack by seeing the real truth of the world and correctly narrating it."
Imam Khamenei stated that having a spirit of jihad [struggle on the path of God] is a necessity for effective propagation. He explained this by saying, "Without having a spirit of jihad, mistakes will come up in understanding the state of affairs and behaviors in propagation. But a spirit of jihad when accompanied by scientific work and a scientific outlook, guarantees the effect of work in propagation."
Furthermore, the Leader of the Revolution maintained the absolute necessity of the presence of Muslim clerics in the middle of the field. He said, "Muslim clerics have always been full of hope, active, and present with a spirit of jihad in the middle of the field."
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